New Channel Partner Portal Set to Launch

Partnerpedia, developed by Canadian Web solution provider Constructive Media,is based on research that uncovered emerging trends in channel management and solution development. It will help resellers and vendors find, recruit and collaborate with new partners, expand knowledge and share information

A Canadian web solutions developer has built and is set to launch a vendor-neutral, partner-to-partner networking portal that will enable resellers to connect with one another, share information and collaborate on projects.

The portal, dubbed Partnerpedia (www.partnerpedia.com), is the brainchild of Constructive Media, a Vancouver, BC-based provider of web solutions for channel partner management. Constructive, whose client list includes Microsoft and Research in Motion, based the site on its research that uncovered emerging trends in channel management, particularly partner-to-partner networking and solution development.

Constructive officials said that the portal helps vendors and resellers to find, recruit and collaborate with new partners, expand knowledge and share information. Partnerpedia is a massively scalable partner portal, a community with no boundaries, not owned or controlled by any corporate entities, said Jeff Chop, Constructive chief executive. Companies that partner do better, he said. Partnerpedia is focused on partner knowledge management, particularly with putting the right kinds of partners together in the value chain.

Partnerpedia features an online networking instrument similar to the popular LinkedIn tool, serves as a repository for targeted content aimed at partners as provided by vendors and offers a partner-generated wiki for members to publish articles and comment on information.

Chops said that Partnerpedia is aimed at smaller IT companies that either maintain a partner community or want to establish one, and channel partners without a current affiliation to a partner network. Entry-level service is free and open to all types of channel partners. Participating companies that use more than 50M-bytes of space on Constructives servers or upload more than 10 files monthly will be charged up to $400 each month for the service.

The site, slated to launch on July 29, has been in beta testing since April. One beta user, DiCentral, a Houston, TX provider of web-based EDI SaaS solutions, said that Partnerpedia would provide a competitive edge for participating partners and vendors. Right now, maintaining and working my partnering information involves referencing my CRM, Outlook and my own spreadsheet for tracking and maintenance, said Keith Arnett, a DiCentral director. When it comes to testing business viability and identifying partnerships, Partnerpedia will be a critical tool, he said. People who get on board will have a big competitive edge."

At this point, the Partnerpedia web site has 116 members, including 32 companies, Chop said. We are a buy vs. build alternative for companies that need a partner portal but dont want to develop their own, he said. He said that Constructive has spoken with vendors Intel, Novell and VMware as well as distributors Arrow and Synnex about joining Partnerpedia. Technology vendors can put their programs out into the broader partner community, Chops said, and give themselves more visibility into what the entire channel is doing.

Chops said that Constructive will drive adoption for Partnerpedia through web marketing, emailing and partnering with other sites to achieve an initial critical mass of users.